#Ruy Lopez

[minecraft-llama]

Chess Blog Day #30 - The Spanish Opening

The Spanish Opening is the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5.

Let's look at the reasons for each move.

1.e4 controls a central square and opens up lines for the queen and a bishop.

1...e5 does, well... the exact same thing.

2.Nf3 attacks an undefended pawn.

And 2...Nf6 defends it.

3.Bb5 threatens to trade the bishop for the knight leaving the pawn undefended (well, sort of). This is a type of tactic that hasn't had its own blog post yet. It's called "removing the defender".

However, black doesn't have to defend the pawn again with a move like 3...e6. In fact, the most common move here is 3...a6.

What if white tries to win the pawn with 4.Bxc6 exc6 5.Nxe5?

Black has 5...Qd4!, forking the knight and pawn.

So if you do decide to play the Spanish, 4.Ba4 is a better move.

That was the basics of the Spanish Opening. Of course, there's more to be said. Entire books have been written on the Spanish! But this feels like a good bite-sized look ideal for this blog.

That's one opening done!

Tomorrow: The Sicilian defence.

[anarchy-chess-archive]

You should study Ruy Lopez

I want to start taking chess more seriously but it’s so embarrassing to try at something I’m mediocre at, especially as an adult (when so many good players start young!)… most people I know have a friend who’s better at chess than I am, too, so to be serious about it… so embarrassing! I want an actual elo rating though…. plus being tired all the time makes it hard to motivate myself for actual study, if anyone knows any good ways to learn openings lmk

[batemanofficial]

[inthefallofasparrow]

If more than one option applies to you, feel free to specify.

[selarina]

Ode to Psyche

The King's Gambit

-> Gojo Satoru x Fem!Reader

Summary: A fallen Princess battles against her captivity in a tower pitted against the usurper Gojo Satoru, but soon their relationship shifts from hostility to a delicate alliance.

Content Warnings: usurper gojo, war, gothic au, politics, power dynamics, isolation, manipulation, forced marriage, psychological drama, enemies to lovers, dubious morality, beauty and the beast motif, implied sexual undertones, violence (non-graphic), feelings of inferiority, infidelity (but not really), suicidal thoughts, mention of death

Read on AO3 | Part 2 | Part 3

You're a member of the Royal Family, and after a lengthy and frankly boring fight against the enemy, they emerge victorious. They're led to glory by a few distant allies, clans to be precise, who seemed to have turned against your family.

At the front of this alliance stands a man called Gojo Satoru — with otherworldly features like white hair, and a general tall looming presence that you can't fully explain. His eyes seem to have never seen the light of day for you to even place color to them. It's always tightly wrapped with a gray or eggshell white cloth, and yet he moves the same as any other able person if not better. He seems to be faster and stronger than anyone else in this entire kingdom.

Some days you find yourself believing this yourself. You hate him but he is strong, and a strategist at heart. When you play chess with him, he's always playing the Closed Ruy Lopez, the Slav Defense, and of course, the Queen's Gambit — your personal favorite. He's always playing the long game and alas, always winning.

But mostly you think you hate him because he makes you feel less than what you were, less than god to be precise. You are Royalty — were — it's complex, but you were once always bathed in gold, and your hands were always soft because you never had to lift a single thing in your life unless it was you who wanted. But now they bear a calloused nature with bruises because you are stubborn and will not let these foreign hands touch your skin. But mostly, you hate him because you were smart. You were smart because you could be — I mean, who's to question a Princess?

But now you're talked over — walked over — by men and women alike who were previously less than dirt to you, and it leaves you reeling with enormous sadness and pure unbridled rage.

You want it back, you want it all back.

You're still a Princess, you think as you're trapped in the tall tower. You will feign incompetence, and they will believe you because who's to question a mere Princess? And then you will strategize, and you can marry or slit all of their throats — whatever works out faster, you will do.

But Gojo Satoru is cruel at heart. It may be a game of strategy that you know to play all too well, but it twinges something in you. He refuses to let you bury your father in your family grounds that have been told to hold a divine link between Heaven and Hell themselves, all because he needed to make a message and couldn't be seen to show empathy to your family — even in death.

And you're almost certain he considered just killing you but kept you strategically alive because the very first time you sneaked out of your tower before you realized you could never truly escape his eyes, you realized that his hold on this kingdom wavers greatly, and you could easily find a few allies and win the kingdom over yourself.

But it seems Gojo Satoru knew this all too well, because now you stand to be forever betrothed to the man. He announces this the very first time you win against him at chess. Maybe he knew of this and let you have a small victory as comeuppance. Now your gloating seems to akin to a player gloating over collecting pawns on the board.

After refusing to let you leave the tower, refusing to make your marriage a real one, after he married and brought in another mistress to further strengthen the kingdom after he killed your brother — your only remaining family — you think you've had enough of this indignation. You don't just feel less than god, you feel less than human, less than mere dirt.

As the days turned into weeks and then months, almost nearing a year after the war, you found yourself increasingly trapped in a peculiar dance with Gojo Satoru. His visits became a regular occurrence, and he no longer visits just for intel on the proceedings of the kingdom. Each time he entered the tower, he brought with him an array of gifts. His gifts varied from rare and exotic books to delicate trinkets from distant lands. You couldn't help but wonder if these offerings were genuine gestures of goodwill or just another move on his intricate board.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Gojo Satoru walked into the tower. The golden hue cast across his face as he carried a small, intricately carved box. He placed it before you, and as you opened it, you saw a delicate silver pendant, a radiant sapphire at its center.

"It belonged to my mother," he said softly, his eyes betraying a hint of melancholy. "She once told me that it held a piece of the night sky within it."

You casually dismissed the pendant, fully aware of the history it carried. Throughout the kingdom, the tales of Gojo's tumultuous relationship with his mother were well-known—filled with heated arguments that culminated in her tragic demise, a victim of a mysterious poison. With a derisive snort, you sneered, "And what of it?"

"Perhaps nothing," he replied. He smirked. "Merely a token of my appreciation for our… ongoing conversations."

As the pendant lay discarded on the table, Gojo's smirk only seemed to grow. His eyes appeared to study you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine. The year at this tower and his occasional company have driven you a bit insane. If only you could unravel the cloth that hides his eyes. You would be content. You think you could fling yourself off this tower, and you would be okay in Hell with the company of his eyes and only his eyes. You think again.

"What do you want, Gojo?" you finally spat out, breaking the tense silence. "Your trinkets mean nothing to me."

He chuckled. A low and slightly chilling sound that reverberated through the room. "Oh! But isn't that where you're wrong, my Queen?"

He stepped closer, his presence seemingly filling every inch of the space around you. You clenched your fists. His presence never intimidated you before, not when he treated you with disdain or mere dismissiveness. But now that he's trying to show and have the first conversation that holds something real, it's scaring you. It makes you want to go hide under your bed.

"I won't be swayed by whatever this is, Gojo. You should stop, and we should be as we are."

"Hmm?" He bends to look straight in your face. You wonder if he even sees you, even from under the cloth. "But I wonder, have you truly considered your situation? You're alone in this tower, isolated from the world, and your kingdom is under my control. You may resist now, and the next year, and maybe for the next 10 years after that. But what will you do when the weight of your isolation becomes too much to bear?"

He steps in closer, and closer until you’re backed up against the stone walls of your castle, “What if you go absolutely bonkers and off yourself as your mother did?”

At that, you snap, punching his chest, over and over, and yet, he remained unmoving, an unyielding monolith. You continue your trivial rampage until you grow tired, your eyes weeping blood, and your hands aching for more, but falling against your side — you’re only human and he’s — you’re not sure what he is. 

He doesn’t say anything as you you fall against his chest, your forehead resting as you think about nothing. He merely picks you up, placing you under your sheets as he kisses your forehead. His lips were as strangely tender, an unsettling contrast to the turmoil he had wrought. 

In your weariness, your eyes half-lidded. You speak up but your voice comes out as a soft whisper, “Why are you doing this?” 

"We are more alike than you care to admit," Gojo remarked. “I guess I want you to understand me as I understand you,” he replied, his voice mirroring your softness.

After that, you change. Your heart remains unwavering and loyal to yourself but you try with him, if only to unravel the cloth around his eyes. You take his gifts, with the occasional thanks. You start making requests, requests he fulfilled in excess. One time, you asked him for a rare book – one that only had about 11 copies in the world, and he got you all 11. Plus, a 12th one that seemed to have been hidden from conversations. 

And on one fateful night, that you still can’t seem to forget — a storm raged right outside the tower, casting an eerie glow through the windows that you left ajar on purpose. Satoru decided to accompany you, and the two of you found a comfortable tune in the silence. 

You turn as you feel him shuffle to sit closer to you, and as a bolt of lightning split the heavens above, he reaches up to his eyes as he slowly unwound the cloth from his eyes, revealing eyes that held the same depth as the sapphire that sits in your bureau. 

You reach up before it fully unveils his eyes to assist him, your hand sitting on his cheek as you’re halfway done. 

“Do you see me as I finally am?” He implored his question lingering in the charged air. 

But you don’t respond, merely a puppet to the moment as you inch closer and closer and closer until you feel his breath against your lips. 

That night, he lays against your body, awake as his hand caress the slope of your hip, as you finally don the sapphire he got for you as your eyes come to close.

You wake the following morning greeted with the sight of the same man offering breakfast, and as your gaze entwines with his, his eyes no longer obscured by cloth, you're uncertain how to confess to the dreams that have been haunting your sleep — dreams of a raven-haired phantom. With black eyes that seemed to eclipse his blue. 

[camelspit]

Best Keeper Character Bracket: Preliminary Rounds

June 1

Alden Vacker, Lady Alexine, Councillor Alina, Alvar Vacker, Amisi

Amy Foster, Lady Anwen, Audric, Barth the Reaper, Sir Beckett

Behnam Aria, Lady Belva, Benesh Vacker, Bethany Lopez, Bex Dizznee

June 2

Biana Vacker, Blur, Boo Boo the Boobrie, Boobrie Dude, Bo

Coach Bora, Brant [REDACTED], Brielle, Brier, Brisa

Councillor Bronte, Sir Bubu, Bullhorn, Bun-Bun the Bunny, Bunhead

June 3

Master Cadence, Cadfael, Cadoc, Calla, Caprise Redek

Lord Cassius, Sir Caton, Lady Ceah, Ceri, Councillor Clarette

Coackatrice, Sir Conley, Cyrah Endal, Damel Kafuta, Lady Dara

June 4

Councillor Darek, Dedra, Della Vacker, Lady Delmira, Dempsey

Dex Dizznee, King Dimitar, Sir Donwell, Durand Redek, Edaline Ruewen

Eleanor Wright, Elidyr, Ella the Elephant, Elwin Heslege, Elysian

June 5

Councillor Emery, Emma Foster, King Enki, Ermete, Esha Aria

Ethan Wright II, Lady Evera, Fallon Vacker, Sir Faxon, Lady Fayina

Fernan Babblos, Fintan Pyren, Fitz Vacker, Flori, Mr Forkle

June 6

Lady Galvin, Garwin Chang, Gerda, Gethen Ondsinn, Gildie

Lady Gisela, Gora, Grady Ruewen, Greyfell, Grizel

Queen Gundula, Sir Harding, Harlin Vacker, Harry the Jackalope, Huxley

June 7

Queen Hylda, Iggy, Irja, Lady Iskra, Sir Jarvin

Jensi Babblos, Jolie and Brant's Gremlin, Jolie Ruewen, Juji, Juline Dizznee

Jurek, Keefe Sencen, Councillor Kenric, Kesler Dizznee, King Gowg

June 8

Kloris, Krikor, Kun, Sir Leander, Lefty

Lesedi Chebota, Lex Dizznee, Linh Song, Councillor Liora, Livvy Sonden

Lovise, Luna, Lur, Luzia Vacker, Mai Song

June 9

Marella Redek, Marty, Maruca Chebota, Mitya, Nesrin

Lady Nissa, Councillor Noland, Norene Vacker, Queen Nubiti, Ollie Heks

Opher, Councillor Oralie, Orem Vacker, Pelipa Heks, Lady Pemberley

June 10

Empress Pernille, Prentice Endal, Princess Purryfins, Quan Song, Quinlin Sonden

Quinlin's Receptionist, Councillor Ramira, Rayni Aria, Rex Dizznee, Righty

Coach Rohana, Ro, Sir Rosings, Ruy Ignis, Sandor

June 11

Lady Sanja, Lady Sassyfur the Sasquatch, Shayda Adel, Silla Heks, Silveny

Sior, Mr Snuggles, Sir Splashyhugs the Kelpie, Sophie Foster, Lady Song

Sprocket, Stina Heks, Mrs Stinkbottom, Stinky the Stegosaurus, Mr Sweeney

June 12

Tam Song, Tarina, Councillor Terik, Thales the Sower, Tiergan Alenfar

Timkin Heks, Timur, Tinker, Trella, Trix

Twinkle, Umber, Urre, Valin, Lady Veda

June 13

Councillor Velia, Verdi, Vered, Vertina, Lady Vespera

Vika Heks, Watson, Coach Wilda, William Foster, Woltzer

Wraith, Wylie Endal, Wynn, Yegor, Yuri, Councillor Zarina, Lady Zillah

June 15

Comeback Round

Note! If I have missed a character or misspelled something PLEASE let me know. There are currently 197 characters and they can be hard to keep track of 😔 if you want to check on a certain character, the list is alphabetized.

[robinfrinjs]

Some current WEC (and a few IMSA) Rumours:

Vettel to Jota Porsche Hypercar

Vettel could drive for Jota in a Hypercar next season possibly alongside Kubica and Button. While another "Top EX-F1 driver" is also in consideration. Vettel is expected to test an Oreca 07 LMP2 with Jota soon. And has not denied the rumours but has said nothing is signed yet.

Mick Schumacher to Alpine

Mick Schumacher is in talks to race for Alpine in Hypercar next year. He's likely to test the car soon and could become a driver in one of their cars next year. Milesi, Vaxiviere and Lapierre have tested the new car already.

Rui Andrade to LMGT3 with a TF Sport Corvette

Currently in LMP2 with WRT, Andrade is not expected to race in Hypercar but could go to GT3. WRT will be running a BMW in the WEC GT3 class, but Andrade his name has mostly come up with TF Sport.

Ferdinand Habsburg has signed with a Hypercar manufacturer

According to his current teamboss, Vincent Vosse (WRT). Ferdinand Habsburg has signed with a Hypercar manufacturer, this manufacturer will not be BMW.

Daniel Juncadella to TF Sport with a Corvette

Current Mercedes Factory Driver Daniel Juncadella is likely to join TF Sport in the LMGT3 class. And would also join Corvette in the endurance races for the IMSA Championship.

Acura to Le Mans?

The Acura currently only racing in IMSA could be coming to Le Mans. Honda Performance Development will formally become Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US). And this is what they said about competing at in WEC (source: DailySportscar.com)

“I think we’ve always been pretty clear. We need to look at the WEC. We have an amazing, in my humble opinion, ARX-06, which has been the work of our team, ORECA have done a stunning job, and our race teams have done a stunning job. So we were smitten with our ARX-06.

They will not be joining in 2024 but possibly 2025?

Peugeot adds a rear-wing

The 9X8 will undergo a major upgrade for 2024. Their initial revolutionary no wing design has not been exactly competitive. For 2024 Peugeot will add a new rear-wing to the car. And will also change their tyre size. Currently they've been driving with a different tyre size than the rest of the grid and want to switch to the same size as everyone else.

Alex Albon to the 24H of Daytona with Wayne Taylor Racing

After it was initially announced that WTR would be running a current F1 driver during the 24H of Daytona rumours broke loose. However Marshall Pruett has confirmed this driver to be Alex Albon.

De Vries to Toyota in 2024

De Vries could be replacing Jose Maria Lopez in the Toyota drivers squad. The Dutch driver has a long-standing connection with the team and was meant to replace Lopez for the 2023 season already. But as de Vries signed a Formula 1 contract Lopez was retained but only on a single year contract.

Isotta Fraschini is evaluating a possible second car

Isotta will be joining the Hypercar grid with current LMP2 team Vector Sport next year. However Isotta is looking for a second customer to run a second car in WEC. This could be any one of LMP2 team Duqueine, or the Swiss GT squad Emil Frey Racing.

Jules Gounon and Jack Doohan tested an LMP2 recently

Gounon and Doohan recently tested an Oreca 07 with COOL Racing at Portimao recently. Doohan could be under consideration for an Alpine Hypercar seat. Gounon was fastest among several drivers and could be looked at by other Hypercar manufacturers.

Akkodis ASP in LMGT3 with Lexus?

ASP is known to want to join WEC as a customer team. This could be with Lexus and it has been revealed that if they're successful. That their current driver Timur Boguslavskiy is under consideration to continue with ASP if it switches to a WEC program.

[pamsimmerstories]

family time and serious talks

previous || next

-

[avery]: should i start with the italian game or the ruy-lopez

[malcolm]: maybe you shouldn’t be telling me your plans

[avery]: maybe... but you’re getting older and i’m getting smarter... so, i’m sure i’m still gonna win this

[malcolm]: you remind me of myself when i was at your age

[avery]: with collin’s new hairstyle he looks more like you, dad

[malcolm]: *chuckles* you’re right! he looks good with that hairstyle.

[griffin]: when is it gonna be my turn, daddy?

[avery]: when you grow up, griff.

[griffin]: i asked daddy, avey!!

[collin]: hiiii. is there a meeting here?

[malcolm]: *laughs* well, he’s right, griff. this is a big boy’s game. soon you’re gonna age up and we’ll play together. i’ll teach you, okay?

[collin]: i’m next!!

[griffin]: collin will play... i want to play!

[collin]: be patient, griff.

[griffin]: i can’t do anything in this house!!

[avery]: while you were distracted, i won.

[malcolm]: no. i let you win because i have to put griffin to bed. i’ll be right back. i want to talk to you and collin

-

[malcolm]: so, i wanted to talk to you about your future, mostly you, avery. we never talked about this after... you know, our fight

[avery]: dad, i told you. i don’t want to go to university. i don’t want to work at your company.

[malcolm]: let me tell you a story. charles was a boy who didn’t want anything to do with his mother’s company and one day he decided to follow his dreams... one day he felt like that life was all he needed, so he had to ask his brother for a job, at that company—

[avery]: we know you’re talking about uncle johnny, dad. you told this story before. and i won’t change my mind like him.

[collin]: avery, i think dad is right. it’s just reassurance. you’re smart, i’m sure you’re gonna be fine at uni.

[avery]: i don’t wanna talk about this. i’m going to my room.

[royalchessmall]

Unlock details here ⬇️ to master the game with essential chess openings for beginners!

These strategies will help you dominate the board

Italian Game: One of the oldest & most admired chess openings. Control the center by developing bishop to c4 & create pressure on f7.

Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack: An unorthodox opening starts with 1.b3, aiming for a fianchetto of the queen's bishop with rapid developments for center control.

Sicilian Defense: A dynamic counterplay favorite among black players. Counterattack with 1.e4c5 to challenge white's central pawn & create an asymmetrical pawn structure.

French Defense: A solid choice to defend against e4 with 1.e4e6 & create a pawn chain with d5 for center control.

Caro-Kann Defense: Robust opening for beginners with 1.e4c6 to support d5 and a strong pawn structure.

Queen’s Gambit: A classic attacking move with an early pawn sacrifice. Starts with 1.d4d5 2.c4 to gain central control.

King’s Indian Defense: Black's solid response to d4 with 1.d4Nf6 2.c4g6. Fianchetto the king’s bishop & attacks the white's central control from the sides.

London System: Flexible and easy to learn opening with moves1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4.

King's Indian Attack: A versatile opening for whites, focusing on rapid development & attacking chances. Typically starts after 1.Nf3 followed by g3, Bg2, and d3, forming a strong pawn structure.

Ruy-Lopez: A classic opening that targets black’s e5 pawn, aiming to control the center and prepare for rapid development.

Scotch Game: A sharp and tactical opening to show white's aggressive approach. Begins with an immediate challenge to the center with a pawn sacrifice.

Dive deeper into each opening on our website. Follow the link to our blog: https://royalchessmall.com/blogs/blog/best-chess-openings

[pixelartarchive]

This animation is about a game in 1575 played by Ruy Lopez de Segura Vs Giovanni Leonardo Di Bona da Cutri. Is my first animation, it took a long time to make, but I'm happy!.

[evaludate]

[VIDEO DESCRIPTION: An image of the characters Helvetica, Mozu, Scarecrow, and Shu, from the game Bustafellows, riding/driving in a car, with the wheels spinning and the background art moving past to give the impression of motion. A clip of the song "Bustin'" by Neil Cicierega, slightly muffled, plays under the sounds of driving, to imitate the song playing on the car radio. END VIDEO DESCRIPTION.]

Good evening, lovely listeners! Tonight we are finishing our coverage of Bustafellows and answering your burning questions of: "So what's the Ruy Lopez thing?" and "What's the deal with Teuta's brother?" with the final two chapters of Bustafellows. Please reply here or send us an ask with any questions!

[anarchist-chess]

We have a tie for the most popular Move...

Bc4 (The Italian) and d4 (The Scotch). Heads is Italian, Tails is Scotch.

Heads. We're playing the Italian Opening.

Move 3 is Bc4.

Computer responds Nf6. We are facing the Two Knights Defense.

Get your move suggestion in before the 8th of may (By the 7th of may at 11:59 pm or 23:59 Pacific Time)

Trivia: There were zero votes to enter a Ruy Lopez (Bb6), an ostensibly popular opening. More like Ruy NOPE-ez amirighhht

[the-least-undefinable-ordinal]

are you white.

About half the time, I just feel more comfortable playing white; I always hit them with the ol' e4-e5, Nc3-... then I usually go for the Vienna gambit.

As black I mostly just play the Caro Kann to avoid memorizing all the usual theory of the Ruy-Lopez and stuff.

I just hit 1000 elo yesterday so my choice of openings is probably suboptimal

[ahzuhvsthemudpack]

check out my first single RUY LOPEZ, available on all streaming platforms now!

Music video dropping on my YouTube channel @AHZUH this Friday 7/7!

This is the lead for a self produced EP I have coming in AUGUST titled AHZUH VS THE MUDPACK

find me on twitter @AHZUH and instagram @AHZUHMUSIC

[danglovely]

The Fishing Pole

Chess trap o'clock.

This is a very common trap that shows up in a lot of positions, so it's integral to learn. The most common place I see it pop up is out of the Ruy Lopez.

If Black tries to kick the bishop with h6, White trades off the light-squared bishop for Black's knight, Black takes back with the d-pawn, White castles, Black pins the knight with Bg4, and White attempts kick the bishop with h3 . . . we end up here:

It seems like a lot, but those are all very logical moves. It's now Black's opportunity to set the trap with a very clever move, h5.

It's called the Fishing Pole because that bishop is bait, White should not take it. White's best move is to free up the dark-squared bishop with d3. If White takes the bait, Black takes back and that seemingly leaves the e-pawn free for the taking.

All Black has to do is play Qh4 and it's forced checkmate.

The queen and rook battery on the h-file is now unstoppable.

[studychesspro1]

Chess Openings For Beginners | Best Opening Chess Moves

Looking to improve your chess game? Study Chess Pro offers a comprehensive guide to chess openings for beginners. Learn how to start a game of chess with confidence by mastering the basics of popular openings such as the Sicilian Defense, the French Defense, and the Ruy Lopez. Our expert coaches will guide you through each opening, offering tips and strategies for both white and black pieces. With clear and concise explanations, you'll be able to quickly improve your opening play and build a solid foundation for the rest of the game. Don't wait; start learning today with Study Chess Pro's beginner's guide to chess openings.